St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We have one smiley girl who is enjoying life and growing so fast. Yes, its true, the leprechaun came to our house and turned Grace's formula GREEN! Can you believe it?







This week has been just an exciting time. We had our first roll from back to belly. We also sat for the first time ever in a high chair at a restaurant. She now sits independently for a few minutes at a time. She is still working on balancing, but she has the general idea.

Grace is loving her new found mobility and freedom! She has a lot to say most of the time, and we love it that way! It is great to hear all her thoughts, even if I can't understand the exact words, I get the general idea. She also likes to talk to her toys now, which is SO funny to watch. She really gets into talking to them and smiling at them. hehe

Here are some pictures from this week - including ones where Daddy got an awesome back pack carrier for Grace so we can go on lots of hikes this spring/summer! We are excited to get out there and give it a try!

Mimi and J-pa were also visiting this week! We are lucky they have the kind of time that they can take to be here and watch Grace grow. She just loves spending time with her family.



Grace Jacklyn, we love you little one. I hope you always feel safe and comfortable to share all your thoughts with us. We certainly love hearing them. I know I say it each week, but you are amazing! Right now you are chatting with an elephant shaped rattle. I think you are telling him that you like the way he tastes. =) All our love.

xoxo

Mommy & Daddy

Formula and Baby Food

This week has been full of changes in diet! Grace went from being an exclusively breast feed baby at the beginning of the week to an exclusively formula feed baby by the end. A lot of prayer and weighing pros and cons went into the decision and it was a hard one to make. Mommy loved being the one to feed Grace but my body just could not keep up with the amounts of milk this little growing girl needed. As soon as we started supplementing it was clear Grace was ready for a larger amount of milk. She is also now getting DHA, Vitamin D from the formula and Mommy is very happy about that! The transition to formula has been so smooth. Grace loves drinking out of the bottle and although at the beginning there were a few funny faces (breast milk is MUCH sweeter then formula... don't ask how I know that) she now gulps down her bottles with ease. Grace was 12 lbs at the beginning of this week. She had been 12 lbs for 2 weeks which also made switching over to formula a no brainer. She is now 13lbs! Grow, grow, grow little peanut.

We also started solid foods this week! We have been eating rice cereal every night and although it is MESSY Grace is really starting to understand what she is supposed to do with that stuff on the spoon. Mommy made up butternut squash and carrot puree yesterday and Grace LOVED the butternut squash last night. She was so ready to eat and she loves to help out by grabbing the spoon and shoving it in her mouth.







Sweet girl, you are growing so fast. You smile and laugh more and more every day. It is so wonderful to know that I get to spend each day watching and loving you. It's amazing as you transition to look more like a little girl and less like a newborn. You are beautifully and wonderfully made.

xoxo

Mommy & Daddy

5 Months

5 month stats: Grace now weights 12.8 lbs when she wakes up in the morning and up to 13.4 after feedings! 13 lbs puts her in the 10th percentile, which is exactly where she should be. She has also grown quite a bit since last month, she is now 24 inches! We finally hit the 2 foot mark. Again this would put her in the 10th percentile. Enjoy the 5 month pictures! =)

Smiles and Melissa!

I can't believe Grace will turn 5 months next week! Where did all the time go?? She is becoming more and more smiley and now people besides family have actually heard her laugh! She is such a happy girl. This week Mommy's good friend from high school came to visit. Melissa thought Grace was so cute and just perfect! Which of course we already knew. Thanks Melissa for taking the time to come and see us! We loved having you. =)
Summer? The 80 degree weather would make you think so! I didn't think Grace would get to wear her outfits with tie tops... but looks like we were able to at least one day! I just love her little arms. The thumb sucking has also continued. She always uses her right thumb and often puts herself to sleep while sucking.

Smiles all around can be deceiving. We have also had our fair number of "gross" moments! Daddy thinks blow out diapers are pretty gross... he often calls Mommy to finish up because he just can't stomach it. Good thing Mommy doesn't mind! Mommy on the other hand thinks that big spit ups are pretty gross. Especially when they get on Mommy! Once Grace managed to get it all over Mommy's chin and neck. That was the last time Mommy went in for a kiss right after Grace feeds!
We asked Grandma and Grandpa to think of some "gross stories" about Daddy and this is what they came up with:

We have to go with "Return of the Sonic footlong chili cheese dog" for a gross story about Gabe. We had gone for the day from Albuquerque,NM to the 4 corners of Arizona,Colorado,New Mexico and Utah. On the way there we had lunch at a Sonic. Gabe wanted, and got, a footlong hot dog with chili and cheese. We enjoyed 4 corners and headed back to Albuquerque. Somewhere along the route Gabe didn't feel well and...It was the return of the Sonic footlong chili cheese dog! Gabe always tended to get sick on vactions. He would get himself worked up and it took it's toll!.

Uncle Zach says he remembers him eating his boogers!

We also asked Mimi and J-pa to think of some "gross stories" about Mommy and this is what they said:

J-Pa's - on the day that we brought Kendall home from the hospital we felt we had it "under control". Having taken the "Diapering Baby" class with Kendall during the last 24 hours prior to our being released from the hospital, Dad (the perfectionist) had it all down pat and was brimming with confidence as he headed to the changing table to change Kendall at home for the first time. He removed the diaper with expertise and then BAM - Kendall shot explosive poop as if out of an air cannon all over her legs, Dad's arm, the changing table and the adjacent wall. Dad turned to me and said "They didn't cover this in the class". We still laugh about it =)

Mimi's - When we had Kendall we were in our late 20's. One couple we enjoyed spending time with was a couple years older than us and childless by choice. When Kendall was a couple months old we were going out to dinner with them for the first time since Kendall had been born. When our friends arrived they did the politically correct thing and cooed over Kendall, even offering to hold her for a minute. The wife had an ample chest and dressed in the "lots of exposed cleavage" Florida style. Two seconds after Kendall was in her arms Kendall "spit up" (our child who rarely spit up) a thick stream of milk right down the wife's cleavage. Kendall was handed back to me and they hurriedly took their leave.

With that said, we will smile through your spit ups and poops and just remember them so we can share gross Grace stories with you later! =) Other then those few moments where we think, wow gross! We find you pretty amazing! Here are some pictures of us just enjoying life this week.

We love you Grace Jacklyn. You are... everything we imagined and more. Every time we hold you we are reminded how blessed we are to have such a wonderful gift! Happy March sweet girl.

xoxo

Mommy & Daddy